How do you replace the rubber grommet behind the brakelight switch??

[hopesfallhxc]

How do you replace the rubber grommet behind the brakelight switch?? Mine deteriated and i made a makeshift one with tape and the old rubber stuff i could find. I believe you can get a whole new rubber piece at the dealer for a couple dollars, but how do you put it on. I can barely get my hands to reach back there. Any other suggestions on how to fix this? Thanks-shaun

[madmeg323]

when you find out please let me know.. I have the same problem with all three 1 for clutch, one for cruice, and one for break pedal.

[hopesfallhxc]

well the clutch is easy, i just used a bolt. you can buy the actual piece at the dealership for 3$. but as far as the brakelight switch, i cant even get my hands to it. i ended up somehow getting some tape and some cardboard there as a temp. fix until i can get the actual piece...... but it looks like ill have to tear apart my whole steering column to get to it.

[kloks]

You're talking about the thing that presses the switch? If you are, when mine fell apart, I had to turn out the switch by turning the adjusting nut. I put the new one in the hole on the brake pedal by pressing the brake by some. I adjusted the brake switch back in and then pulled on it with my hands to get it to set in the hole all the way.

To get down there, I just layed my seat all the way back and did it upside down.

[positron1]

How do you replace the rubber grommet behind the brakelight switch?? Mine deteriated and i made a makeshift one with tape and the old rubber stuff i could find. I believe you can get a whole new rubber piece at the dealer for a couple dollars, but how do you put it on. I can barely get my hands to reach back there. Any other suggestions on how to fix this? Thanks-shaun

I spent about thirty minutes and two hundred curse words twisting and contorting under my dash trying to pop that thing in with my hands to no avail. Then I took the rubber stopper/grommet and pinched the sides with a pair of needle nose pliers and it slide right into place...took 10 seconds.

[kouki-gymkhana]

How do you replace the rubber grommet behind the brakelight switch?? Mine deteriated and i made a makeshift one with tape and the old rubber stuff i could find. I believe you can get a whole new rubber piece at the dealer for a couple dollars, but how do you put it on. I can barely get my hands to reach back there. Any other suggestions on how to fix this? Thanks-shaun

I spent about thirty minutes and two hundred curse words twisting and contorting under my dash trying to pop that thing in with my hands to no avail. Then I took the rubber stopper/grommet and pinched the sides with a pair of needle nose pliers and it slide right into place...took 10 seconds.

I tried the needle nose pliers technique to no avail but I did figure out a no-brainer way to do it without much issue. It takes about 10 mins but is so simple it's ridiculous...If you loosen the brake master cylinder from the brake booster, you'll be able to push the brake pedal all the way to the floor without having to bleed the brakes afterwards. Pull the two nuts holding the master cylinder onto the booster and grab a friend because you will need an extra hand for the next step. Now, lay the driver's seat back all the way down so the seat is almost completely flat. Lay down on the seat with your face looking up under the steering column. Have your friend push the brake pedal all the way down with a piece of wood or other reach-extending device. Once the pedal is all the way down, you'll be able to just push the replacement stopper into the hole on the pedal assembly with your thumb and index finger. It really just pops right in! Head back under the hood and retighten those nuts on the master cylinder and you should be good to go!

I hope this spares someone else the contortions and cuss-words some of the other approaches require. Cheers!

[Eddiemac]

The best fix I have come up with is to use a fender screw (one of the ones that hold the front fender liner in) and one of those little metal brackets that come with a new set of door speakers. I used a broom stick to depress the pedal as far as possible, using the seat back to hold it in place. Then just put the screw through the hole and spin the speaker mount/ bracket thing until its tight enough to hold it in place. Ive used this method to fix several brake/ cruise issues with my 240's and have never had a problem. The height of the screw is almost exactly the same as the cheap OEM plug nissan used and will never dryrot and fall out. I hope this helps some of you guys.

[badbob2121]

I bought new ones from a Nissan dealer's parts store online. I got 2 of them for a couple bucks I believe.

Sucks getting them in though..

Edit: Just noticed this was a 6 year old thread

[OutToWinPAHC]

Some use JB weld and a nickle

[tony2012]

The part that you need is called "rubber stopper" (part number 46512-H0101). I got it for $4.76 from a Nissan dealer.

To put it in, you need to start your car, unfold your driver's seat all the way back and get your head under the dashboard. It's easier for you to press on the brake pedal when the car's engine is on. If the engine is off, it's harder to press on the brake pedal.

Use one hand to press on the brake pedal and the other to slide the rubber stopper into the narrow space between your brake light switch and the the hole on the pedal assembly. Make sure the nip of the stopper is facing the hole on the pedal assembly. There's no need to try to press the nip into the hole because the rubber stopper is going to slip off your fingers. Just hold the stopper in place with one hand and slowly release the brake with the other. The nip of the stopper will just snap right in to the hole!

If you have fat fingers or huge body size, just ask your kid to do it for you. If you don't have a kid, ask your neighbor's kid.

It's a lot easier than what was described by the posts above.

[marcus johnson]

I just did this on my '01 Frontier.... seems so simple, but my fingers would not cooperate. I ended up going to my wife's sewing kit and pulling out the largest safety pin I could find. I straightened it out and impaled the grommet on the point... not far enough to damage it, just enough for it to stay put. Then I just pushed down the pedal and slid the pin in until I could feel the grommet seated properly in the hole. Released the pedal and pulled back on it to seat the plug... popped right in. Took maybe thirty seconds.

[Dimitri]

After the initial shock of not being able to start the car, for the clutch pedal I used a chair foot slider like these here :
http://www.amazon.com/Waxman-4710495N-F ... d_sim_hg_1

[mnofal225]

All u got to do is use those felt pads i have done it to all the 240's I had one side of them is adhesive so stick it over the rubber grommet hole is and presto it works. I bought a whole pack of them from walmart for 3 bucks. I have big hands as well and it was a real pain but it helps to have a friend to push the pedal for you with a stick or a broom stick while you put it in. At least thats what me and my little bro did

[biggie]

But all you need to do is use the new OEM part, its improved and won't break apart over time like the old ones. Less than $5 I believe.

My big hands were hard to get into there, but if you just line it up and then use the pedal to pull back and force it into the hole.

[King Ranzo]

Oh boy. I remember when I did that in my S13. I had my neighbor come over and do it. He was in there for 10 minutes, pissed as hell, trying to pull the old one out and stick the new one in. It's a PITA, but a pair of needle nose managed to do the job swimmingly.

[OM3GA]

It is a PITA i have done it a few times. The new piece is definitely improved greatly.

Glad you got it done though, awesome.

[e1b3rt]

Then I just pushed down the pedal and slid the pin in until I could feel the grommet seated properly in the hole. Released the pedal and pulled back on it to seat the plug... popped right in. Took maybe thirty seconds.

Found this thread before I installed the part, and the above worked for me. I got the grommet somewhat seated over the hole, released the pedal to hold it in place, then pulled the pedal toward me to pop it in. Saved me some time and precious curse-words.

For a quick fix on the road, I bought some small self-adhesive bumpers from Walmart, the kind used to protect furniture. Then I bought the actual part from FRSport.com for $3.31 after price-match; with shipping it was still $8.38. Definitely cheaper solutions mentioned above...

[Ekinchheng]

Changing it is a pita but can be done with a long needle nose pliers like everybody says. I use a round plastic clip for example, like the one that holds your panels in your trunk.

[mechanicalmoron]

A better question would be, have they shot the guy who designed it so a broken grommet freezes your brake light on? Couldn't the switch have been LARGER than the mounting hole, so it would still engauge?

Courtesy parts time.

(edit) anyone know the difference between these? Judging from the chunks I found, mine was the black one, but what's the difference? Is each side (switch and pedal) supposed to have a rubber piece?

[Hijacker]

A better question would be, have they shot the guy who designed it so a broken grommet freezes your brake light on? Couldn't the switch have been LARGER than the mounting hole, so it would still engauge?

Courtesy parts time.

(edit) anyone know the difference between these? Judging from the chunks I found, mine was the black one, but what's the difference? Is each side (switch and pedal) supposed to have a rubber piece?

It's designed to fail with the lights on so you know something's wrong. If the switch worked opposite, then you'd never know your lights are out and would be running around town with no brake lights. The only reason Nissan opted to use the plastic piece instead of direct metal contact was to save the switch from an early demise since it wouldn't be slamming into the metal arm all the time.

The plastic stopper has been updated, so if you go to your dealership, they'll have the updated part, which will be clear. It's a bit tougher than the old black plastic and should last the life of the car. And only the pedal lever arm will have the stopper.

[mechanicalmoron]

A better question would be, have they shot the guy who designed it so a broken grommet freezes your brake light on? Couldn't the switch have been LARGER than the mounting hole, so it would still engauge?

Courtesy parts time.

(edit) anyone know the difference between these? Judging from the chunks I found, mine was the black one, but what's the difference? Is each side (switch and pedal) supposed to have a rubber piece?

It's designed to fail with the lights on so you know something's wrong. If the switch worked opposite, then you'd never know your lights are out and would be running around town with no brake lights. The only reason Nissan opted to use the plastic piece instead of direct metal contact was to save the switch from an early demise since it wouldn't be slamming into the metal arm all the time.

The plastic stopper has been updated, so if you go to your dealership, they'll have the updated part, which will be clear. It's a bit tougher than the old black plastic and should last the life of the car. And only the pedal lever arm will have the stopper.

Ahh I would, but it would be several hundred miles round trip for a five dollar part, I think I'll just opt for another 20 years on one of the rubber ones from courtesy parts.

I guess I'll try the black one, and hope it's good.... the green one does say ASCD, which is, I think, cruise? which I do have... we'll see.

About how it fails, I just mean, they could have made it so that it would be metal on the switch, but only in the event that the stopper broke, by putting in the stopper but making the switch bigger than the hole, so the pedal would still turn it on. But I suppose this really does make sense to make you replace the part.

[Smj67]

I just did this on a '98 Frontier. Went out to my garage to get something and found my brake lights on. Gotta be at work in 8 hours so had to try to fix it!
I cursed heavily and finding the initial opening was a task in of itself.

What finally did it for me was using a broom handle to wedge between the pedal and my seat to press the pedal. Then I slid a furniture foot protector felt pad that I bought while refurbishing my desk a year or so ago. Slid the felt pad up near the empty hole, released the broom handle and pedal and it's now fixed. I'm gonna eventually buy a new grommet but I'll get to work today without fear of being pulled over!
Thanks for all the info on this!

[rtodd777]

I just replaced all three of mine on a 1985 300ZX. I basically spent 25 minutes doing it the wrong way and then 5 minutes to do it the right way. First, take out the driver seat. Mine is held in by four bolts and it really helps your back. Now crawl under the dash with a flashlight, grommets, dish soap, q-tips, and a golf club. I used the golf club to press the pedal down so I could add some dish soap to the holes using a q-tip. This is important; make sure the wide side faces the switch. Don’t try to come in from the back side which does work but it’s a million times harder. You should have them in this order Switch-Grommet-Pedal. If you try Switch-Pedal-Grommet (i.e. Back Side Entry) you will get frustrated. Don’t use your fingers or pliers to make this work. Get the grommet is position and release the brake pedal. The pressure from the pedal will push the grommet into the hole perfectly. You will need to do this twice since there are two of them. The other one is on the Clutch which is done the same way except I had to pull on the pedal a little to get the grommet into the hole. Very easy fix when you see the first one work.

[utilajeff]

I used the safety pin idea (thank you marcus johnson, above). I stuck the pin into the side of the grommet. Put some liquid handsoap on the back side of the grommet and had my son depress the brake pedal of the running car (he used a yardstick) to give me space to maneuver. I put the grommet in place and had my son release the brake pedal. I pulled the pedal forward (toward the steering well) to make sure the grommet had seated. Replaced the second grommet the same way. (My car has grommets for brake and cruise; there is no clutch.) I did buy qty 2 of the Nissan part 46512-H0101 though as a temporary fix a nickle-sized piece of heavy duty felt pad with adhesive had worked fine for the brake light switch. (The cruise control grommet failed shortly thereafter but that's easier to live without while waiting on parts.) My car is a 1999 Nissan Altima SE. Glad for this forum; thank you.

[voiddweller]

Mine fell apart and I was in a bind. There was a Chevy dealer down the street. They handed me 5 different stoppers and I just used the one that fit the brake pedal and returned the others. While I was in the parking lot, I pushed the seat back all the way, gently lined up the stopper with my fingers, pushed the stopper in with the pedal by hand to seat it and then all the way in with my foot. Took about 5 minutes.

[zer0c123]

I struggled with the install for a while until I realized that I could push in the new grommet with the brake light sensor. The sensor position is held on with an adjusting nut. Just position the grommet and rotate the nut, so that it pushes the grommett in.piece of cake

[confused9]

I'm so glad I stumbled onto this. I just realized I needed this done.

[mithridates]

To put it in, you need to start your car, unfold your driver's seat all the way back and get your head under the dashboard. It's easier for you to press on the brake pedal when the car's engine is on. If the engine is off, it's harder to press on the brake pedal.

Use one hand to press on the brake pedal and the other to slide the rubber stopper into the narrow space between your brake light switch and the the hole on the pedal assembly. Make sure the nip of the stopper is facing the hole on the pedal assembly. There's no need to try to press the nip into the hole because the rubber stopper is going to slip off your fingers. Just hold the stopper in place with one hand and slowly release the brake with the other. The nip of the stopper will just snap right in to the hole!

This works just as well with a 99 Toyota Corolla. Many thanks to the author of this post. Spent about 40 minutes trying to force the brake pedal switch cushion - in Toyota-speak - into place in the cramped confines of the brake pedal/footrest area, before giving up for the day. Went looking on Google for a solution.

After reading this post, went back to the car the next day and spent roughly 5 seconds pushing the brake pedal switch cushion into place with my right hand (after turning the engine on, thereby activating the power brakes, and pushing down on the brake pedal with my left hand). What was previously a 1/4" gap between the brake pedal light switch (with the brake pedal depressed) and the switch cushion holder became a 3/4" gap after the engine came on. That is why it took 5 seconds to push the switch cushion on this time around.

[wa-chiss]

I just used a panel clip (like the white ones for interior panels). Fit the hole perfect. I literally have hundreds of them in a container at work. (I'm a Toyota tech). There's a recall on sienna 3rd row seat back panels getting replaced. The new panels come with clips and I found a good way to remove the old panels so the clips stay intact.

Install was a bit harder. The best advice I could give has already been said. Start the car first.

[CecilBDemento]

The brake light switches rubber grommet disinterested after 18 years and 280k miles on my Qx4, I found the pieces in the steering column bracket. . The whole idea is to keep the"button" depressed. A bottle cap sufficed, and chewing gum kept in place.